Years ago, social media was viewed as just a fun activity. It was used for chatting, keeping in touch with old friends, and finding new ones. It was also one of the online means to express yourself. But nowadays, it’s a critical part of your life. In many ways, social media can be utilised for professional purposes.
It’s no longer just websites and apps where you post pictures, share your favourite songs, or enjoy funny videos. Nowadays, social media is a powerful tool that can help you expand your professional network, find a new gig, or build your business from scratch.
For example, utilising features like Instagram Reels vs. Facebook Stories can dramatically impact how you reach your audience. Instagram Reels provide dynamic, short-form video content that resonates well with younger audiences, while Facebook Stories offer a more casual and interactive way to share updates with your followers.
Every business has a presence on social media, as it allows:
- find prospective customers;
- enhance engagement of existing customers;
- discover new trends and ideas;
- bring or strengthen attention to their product;
- bring more traffic to their site.
Okay, that’s for businesses, but also crucial for a job search. Everyone needs a great resume to become an applicant. Create it on your own, or seek professional help from services like ResumeService24 to craft a perfect resume for job seekers that will surely attract recruiters. However, your social media page can be a valuable resource for your career opportunities.
How You Can Benefit From Social Media
Many things depend on the career field or the position you would like to occupy, but social media can help you in the job market. You may have heard various success stories of singers getting noticed by labels after posting their songs on MySpace, or people becoming successful bloggers by starting with simple posts on Facebook. But social networks can help you on a smaller scale.
While not every company you apply to will check your social media, according to a CareerBuilder survey, at least one-third of employers look through their candidates’ social media. And while your professional experience and critical skills will have the final say, your social media activity also impacts the employer’s decision.
Your Facebook or Twitter account profile can give an employer a different look at you. Moreover, it can display certain qualities that aren’t on a resume. Your online profile showcases your personality, sense of humour, and other valuable features. Recruiters need to decide whether you are a cultural fit for the company.
While your profile may not present you as a saint, it may still display you as an interesting person. Based on what you like and share, a hiring manager may decide if your prospective colleagues will or will not enjoy working with you. So, don’t avoid displaying your positive qualities on social media.
If you are a sports fan, display your interest by posting and sharing sports-related things. If you enjoy cooking, don’t shy away from posting pictures of dishes you’ve cooked. You can also post politically correct jokes and your thoughts on this or that event. But express thoughts, not emotional responses, as you need to display your critical thinking.
Things to Avoid Doing on Social Media
Just as social media can motivate the company to employ you, it can make your prospective employer decide against accepting your application. Thus, you should remember several things not to do on social media if you don’t want to risk your prospective employment.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is generally unacceptable, especially when it comes to your profession. Posts expressing malice or using derogatory terms towards anyone will harm your present career and employment potential. It would help if you were also careful when commenting on things.
While it is unlikely that recruiters will go that far in checking your background, if they do and learn that you often use profanities towards people you disagree with, your chances of getting a position you want will decrease, regardless of your qualifications. You won’t be considered a cultural fit for the company if you struggle to maintain self-control online.
Photos With Alcohol
You are unlikely to be hired if you are an avid partygoer and prefer posting pictures of yourself and friends getting drunk. While those pictures don’t necessarily scream that you have problems with alcohol, someone suffering from hangovers frequently is unlikely to become an employee of the month.
Not that you should quit your alcohol consumption shenanigans with friends. However, it would be helpful if you thought twice before posting it online with pride. After all, whatever you post online may have a lasting effect on your life and career opportunities.
Nude Pictures
Some companies indeed seek applicants who are self-confident. But if your confidence is displayed by posting nude pictures on Facebook or Instagram, recruiters may find it too far. Even now, such behaviour may be considered unethical. Aside from failing to land a specific job, you can get reported for pictures like that. After all, there are other sites for nude selfies that are not linked to your professional activities.
Complaining About Your Past Companies
You are likely aware that complaining about past work experiences during an interview for a new position is unprofessional. Believe it or not, posts where you complain about your past employers and companies also count. Whether your comments are fair, employers will think twice before hiring you.
Such social media activities signify that if you’ve done it once towards your previous employer, you can do it again towards your new one. Online posts like that can impact your company’s reputation, and employers rarely want to risk it. So, keep the complaints to yourself.
Mocking Customers
Everyone loves Karen and “I want to talk to the manager” jokes. Everyone has at least one experience with an obnoxious customer. However, mocking customers online is highly unprofessional. And it can hinder your chances of landing a job.
Support consultants frequently encounter customers who require assistance with a specific application but lack basic computer skills. You can laugh about it with your colleagues, but an online post mocking that type of customer can lead to not getting a new job. Complaining about customers can reflect poorly on your company. And that’s again risking its reputation. If you want to start your career from scratch, you should use LinkedIn’s resume service to land a dream job.
How to Prevent Social Media From Hurting Your Career?
So, no nudes, no wild parties, and no jokes about your job on social media? Don’t worry; you don’t need to have a separate account. Most social networks have privacy settings. So, if you want to share the artefact of your night out, adjust the settings so it will be shared only with your friends.
If you have an OnlyFans account that you want to promote on your Instagram story, consider sharing it with your close friends’ circle so that none of your colleagues will see it. The same goes for mocking customers. However, note that privacy settings don’t guarantee that content will not be seen by those who shouldn’t see it. You cannot hide on social media.
Final Thoughts
If you want to get hired for your dream job, you should be careful with what you post online. You must create a professional image corresponding to your skills and experience. And if you know what to post and what not to post, your chances of having a perfect online profile for the recruiters are pretty high.
